NATO calls for 'political solution' in Syria

NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen on Monday called on the international community to enforce a political solution in Syria while reiterating there would be no military intervention. "The right response to this crisis remains a political response. And a concerted response by the international community against a regime that has lost all humanity and all legitimacy,' Rassmusen told a news conference. Welcoming the weekend meeting of the Action Group on Syria in Geneva, the alliance head said "the international community has a duty to put an end" to the conflict "and to do it now". World powers agreed on Saturday on a plan for a political transition in Syria that could include current regime members. Russia and China insisted that Syrians must decide how the transition should be carried out rather than allow others to dictate their fate but the West does not see any role for President Bashar al-Assad in a new unity government. "This conflict has already gone on for too long. It has cost too many lives, and put the stability of the whole region at risk," said Rasmussen. But he reiterated that NATO has "no intention to intervene militarily". He also said that "NATO has not received requests for deployment of military assets" and that "NATO as an alliance has no dialogue with opposition groups in Syria".